Five key takeaways from the New Bern Board of Aldermen annual retreat Feb. 4

Thursday

Feb 9, 2017 at 5:31 PMFeb 9, 2017 at 5:44 PM

Eddie Fitzgerald EFitzgeraldNBSJ

1. City is ship-shape

Mark Stephens, city manager, said the city’s financial health was in excellent shape. The debt service for 2017 is estimated at $1.67 million, the lowest it has been since 2011. There is also an projection for 2017 of $12.9 million in reserve funds, or 35.35 percent of the general fund expenditures. The state recommends at least 8 percent in reserve funds. Also, each of the enterprise reserve funds: electric, sewer and water, surpass the city’s formal policy of keeping cash on hand.

2. Parking

Using downtown parking meters to help turnover spaces and possibly pay for a parking deck and paving projects is something that needs to be considered to handle future growth, Stephens said. Questions asked by aldermen included are people willing to walk into town from free parking spaces or would meters hurt businesses, and would a parking deck be necessary if revenue was generated from meters?

3. Oaks Road improvements

Seeking solutions to upgrade Oaks Road has been a constant task of aldermen. Some upgrades were discussed at the retreat. Cost: more than $2 million for sidewalks, elevated walkway, driveway aprons, right of way and ditch grading, paving, traffic control and erosion control, relation of obstructions and professional services.

4. Stormwater upgrades

After discussion of the city’s antiquated stormwater infrastructure and possibly raising stormwater fees to upgrade it and maintain it, Aldermen instead approved a $1.5 million installment loan for nine stormwater projects.

5. EMT training

Aldermen heard a report of New Bern emergency personnel responding to increased heroin and opioid overdoses and other medical emergencies during the retreat and agreed to spend $1,000 for Emergency Medical Technician basic training for emergency responders, and an initial cost of $195 per kit for NARCAN, a drug overdose antidote. The fire department will get six kits and the police department will get 45 kits. The 911 call volume for EMS in New Bern has been increasing slightly for the past three years. Last year the fire department responded to 1,336 incident calls and 32 percent of them required emergency medical services and rescue services.

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